Improvement in grain cleaners and scourers



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD CRAIG, OF SHEBOYGAN FALLS, IISGONSIN.

IMPRGVEMENT IN GRAIN CLEANERS AND SCOURERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 152,609, dated June 30,1874; application filed April 11, 1874.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, RICHARD CRAIG, ofSheboygan Falls, in the county of Sheboygan and State of Wisconsin, haveinvented a new and valuable Improvement in Grain-Scourers; and I dohereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the construction and operation ofthe same, referencebeing had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification,and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

Figure l of the drawing is a representation of a sectional view of mygrain-scourer, and Fig. 2 is an end view of the same. Fig. 3 is a detailview.

This invention relates to that class of machines in which the grain isscoured byfriction, and dust, smut, fuzz, and other light impurities areseparated from it, leaving it in a proper condition of cleanliness forthe millstones. The improvement which I have made on these machinesconsists in the combination of screw blades, arranged one within theother, and applied on a revolving shaft inside of a suitable cylinder,whereby the grain will be moved back and forth between the ends of saidcylinder, and at the Sametime itwillbe thoroughly stirred and agitated,as will be more fully explained hereafter.

In the drawings annexed, A designates a right cylinder, which ispreferably perforated, and which is closed at both ends E E. Thiscylinder is mounted on legs, and it may be inclined, as shown in Fig. 1.Near-the highest end of cylinder, and on top thereof, is a feedopening,C, surrounded by a collar, and to which a cap or cover, a, is appliedafter the machine is charged with grain. At or near the end of thecylinder I shall, in practice, have an opening, provided with a suitablecover, through which opening the cleaned grain is removed. D designatesa shaft, which passes centrally through the ends E E of the cylinder.A,and is supported by journal-boxes therein. This shaft may be rotatedeither by hand or by any convenient motive-power. G designates ascrew-shaped blade extending from one end to the other of the cylinderA, and wound about the axis of the shaft D, so

that when this shaft is rotated in one direction the blade G will movethe grain from the highest end of the cylinder A to the lower endthereof'. Inside of this blade G, and wound in an opposite directionthereto, is a screw-blade, H, of smaller radius, and. inside of thislatter blade, and wound in an opposite direction, is another blade, J,of still smaller diameter, which is rigidly secured to the shaft D. Thethree screw-blades G, H, and J are all rigidly secured together, so thatthey rotate with the shaft D. These blades are respectivel y continuous,and they are made of narrow and thin sheet-metal strips, wound andsecured together as described.

In practice, I contemplate using a cylinder which is wholly or in partperforated; also, fixing into the cylinder small rivets about one inchapart, so that they will stand up onesix teenth of an inch or more,which will greatly facilitate the cleaning ofthe grain. I shall also, insome instances, have the internal worms or screw-blades detached from'the external blades and constructed to revolve independently of eachother and in opposite directions.

It will be seen from the above description that when shaft D is rotatedthe grain will be moved from one end to the other of the cylinder, andat the same time dashed about and thoroughly agitated, thereby freeingit of dust and other foreign substances, which maybe drawn off bysuction or removed by a blast suitably applied.

l/Vhat I claim, and desire `to secure byIietters Patent, is-

In a machine for scouring and cleaning grain, the cylinder A, partly orfully perforated, and containing within it two or more blades woundhelical] y around a revolving shaft, D, in opposite directions, andconnected to this shaft, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the above, I have hereunto subscribed my namein the presence of two witnesses.

RICHARD CRAIG.

W'itnesses JNO. E. THOMAS, RossITER LINES.

